Bethesda Orphanage
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Bethesda Academy (previously known as Bethesda Home for Boys) is a boys' school and former
orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...
located in unincorporated Chatham County,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, in the
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, near
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. Its historic building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1973. with


History

It was founded in 1740 as an orphanage by evangelist
George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican minister and preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke Coll ...
, in the 18th century on his 500
acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
(1,600 m2) land grant about south of
Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
, in the newly founded colony of Georgia. Whitefield called the orphanage Bethesda, which means "House of Mercy," for he hoped many acts of mercy would take place there. On March 25, 1740, construction began on the orphanage buildings. The main house was two stories high with twenty rooms. Two smaller buildings were built behind the orphanage; one was designed to be an infirmary and the other a workhouse. Whitefield wanted the orphanage to be a place of strong
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
influence with a wholesome atmosphere and strong discipline. Boys were taught trades so that they could earn a living as adults. Younger children learned spinning and carding, and all boys were taught mechanics and agriculture. Whitefield hoped that the orphanage would become the foundation of a university. While the children grew most of the orphanage food, the enterprise was more expensive than anticipated, and Whitefield went into debt.
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...
suggested that due to the scarcity of workmen and materials in Georgia, it might be better to move the orphanage and its children to
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Whitefield refused to move the orphanage because his contributors donated money specifically for the Georgia project. At his death, Whitefield bequeathed the orphanage and his slaves to the Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, a charitable sponsor in England. He asked her to maintain the orphanage under its existing principles, and establish a college. However, she was not able to provide the oversight from away, and the orphanage almost closed. In 1773, fire destroyed the home. Three years later, the American Revolution stymied plans to add a college. After several administrative changes, a new building and society, the Bethesda Home for Boys was established on the same site.


Bethesda and slavery

In the early 18th century,
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
had been outlawed in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. In 1749, Whitefield campaigned for its legalization, arguing that the territory would never be prosperous unless farms were able to use slave labor. He began his fourth visit to America in 1751 advocating slavery, viewing its re-legalization in Georgia as necessary to make his plantation profitable. Partially through his campaigns and written pleas to the Georgia Trustees, it was re-legalized in 1751. Whitefield then purchased slaves to work at Bethesda Orphanage. To help raise money for the orphanage, he also employed slaves at his Providence Plantation. When Whitefield died, he bequeathed his slaves to the Countess of Huntingdon.Cashin, Edward J. ''Beloved Bethesda: A History of George Whitefield's Home for Boys'' (2001)


Modern times

Bethesda has not been an orphanage for many years, but continues to focus on youth in the greater Savannah area. Bethesda is a private boarding and day school for boys in grades 6-12 and, in April 2011, the Bethesda Home for Boys was renamed Bethesda Academy to better reflect their mission and commitment to the education of young men. In 2015, Bethesda kicked off its 275th Anniversary year.


Sources

*Demaray, Donald E. ''Pulpit Giants; what made them great''. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1973). *Macartney, Clarence Edward Noble. ''Six Kings of the American pulpit''. (Philadelphia, The Westminster Press, 1942). *McGraw, James. ''Great Evangelical Preachers of Yesterday''. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1961). *Whitefield, George. ''George Whitefield's Journals''. (Banner of Truth Trust, 1960).
Robert V. Williams, “George Whitefield’s Bethesda: the Orphanage, the College, and the Library” (Library History Seminar #3, Proceeding 1968)


References


External links


Bethesda Academy website

Bethesda Home For Boys records
at Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Chatham County, Georgia Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) Christianity in Georgia (U.S. state) History of Georgia (U.S. state) Organizations established in 1740 Orphanages in the United States Schools in Chatham County, Georgia History of slavery in Georgia (U.S. state) Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Savannah, Georgia